The holidays are here and it’s likely that you will need to purchase sparkling wine for a party you are attending, to offer as a gift or to pour at midnight to guests of your New Year’s Eve celebration. With all the options at the wine store, how do you begin to make sense of it all? Here is some information and a few options to help you make the right decision, whatever your budget might be.
We had so much fun shooting our first video for Jersey Bites. Here, Deborah Smith, Executive Editor of Jersey Bites chats about Booze and Bites for the Holidays with two well known gentlemen in the food and spirits industries, Joe Leone of Joe Leone’s Italian Specialty Stores and Donny Sanders, Marketing Manager of Spirits Unlimited. Joe introduces his new Italian inspired Whoopie Pies while Donny gives us the buzz on beer in New Jersey and Spirits’ new growler stations.
Like many of you, I am getting ready to host a holiday gathering at my house. While I’m excited to celebrate the season with good friends and family, I dread all the work that goes into the planning, prepping, cleaning, organizing and shopping for the event. Not to mention the money and time spent before, during and after the party. So this year, I’ve decided to make it easy on myself, and my wallet, by hosting a “Pairing Party.” Similar to a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres or a Spanish tapas party, I’ll be serving mingle-friendly appetizers and other finger foods for my guests to sample and build their own light bites. Not only will the pairing party cut back on the amount of prep work and the cost of a full-course meal, it will allow your guests to select which food combinations they want to try. So instead of cheese and crackers, maybe your guest prefers mini meatballs sandwiched between two Pretzel Crisps® with a slice of parmesan cheese. Think of it as a buffet of appetizers open to guests throughout the night. They will be able to sample a variety of foods, the way they like to eat them, while catching up with old and new friends.
More wine buying is done for Thanksgiving dinner than for any other holiday throughout the year. Selecting wine for Thanksgiving dinner can be a daunting task considering the many flavor components of the meal. White wine for white meat? Red wine for the dark meat? Can the big flavors of side dishes be paired with sparkling wine? There are no right answers when it comes to finding the ideal wine for Thanksgiving, so here are ten affordable American wine recommendations that are safe bets on Turkey Day.